


Will You Hold My Crippled Heart?

by RWBYaddict



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abuse, Angst, F/F, Medical Condition, Some Fluff, discovering love, major sadness later on, not smut, raven is a bitch, seriously it gets sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-10-13 21:24:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20589335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RWBYaddict/pseuds/RWBYaddict
Summary: Yang knows nothing outside the Branwen Tribe. She's never experienced love, in any way, not even from her own mother. Has all that brutal training and killing turned her into a monster? Or has she grown to seek out good, craving to right all the wrongs she's been forced into?Blake knows loneliness all too well. As a Faunus, and daughter of an important businessman and town council member none of the other kids her age want to talk to her, yet when she discovers a mysterious woman dying in the woods, things might just change. This stranger might just be the friend the lonely faunus has been looking for





	1. Prologue

Ruby wasn’t stupid. Naive, sometimes, and very innocent, but rarely ever stupid. It didn’t take a genius to know dad was hiding something from her. Something big. She was done being in the dark.  


The key turned in the lock. Zwei gave a woof, and Taiyang came into the house, bringing a cool breeze with him. “I’m home!”  


Ruby paused her videogame and immediately jumped over the back of the couch to wrap her arms around him. “Daddy! You were gone too long! Did you get me anything?”  


Dad had a huge grin on his face as he hugged back. “Whoa, you’re getting too big to do that, Ruby. You need to stop growing up so fast. Twelve is old enough, I say.”  


Ruby let go of him, trying to remember her mission. Today would be the day of answers. She put her hands on her hips and looked right up at dad. “Daddy, we need to talk.”  


She tried to sound serious, but she hated any kind of tension, so she gave a deep sigh once dad’s smile disappeared. “Dad, I’m not just a little kid anymore. I know you’re hiding something big. I know you and Uncle Qrow are looking for something. Don’t you think I’m old enough to know?” She gave him the look, the big eyes begging for answers she knew he couldn’t resist. “Maybe if I know what you’re looking for, I can help.”  


Dad ran a hand through his hair and gave a deep sigh, but he didn’t say no. Perhaps today she really would get her answers.  


“Alright, Ruby. You deserve to know. I need to sit down, though. It’s a lot to tell you.”  


She followed him to the living room, realizing this might be more serious than she thought. He sunk into the cushions of the couch, looking older than usual. Zwei jumped up beside him and his hand absentmindedly started to stroke the soft fur.  


“Ruby. It’s time to tell you about Raven, and about your sibling. I don’t even know if you have a brother or sister, since I was never told.” He leaned forward and gave Ruby a sad smile. “All I know is your older brother or sister is blonde, and I’d do anything to find them again.”


	2. Honeysuckle

Pain. So much pain.

Yang could no longer see straight. The pain that was usually settled in her chest had spread to her entire body, every vein throbbing, leaving her gasping for every single breath. Her body curled inward, and she arched her head back, trying to suck in as much oxygen as possible. This was the worst attack yet.

When did she stop moving forward? She couldn’t even remember sixty seconds back, the pain was all consuming. She just needed to concentrate. Was she even standing? No, at some point she’d fallen to her knees. At least no one would see her moment of weakness. If Raven saw this, she might as well just melt into the ground.

Why was it still hurting?! The pain should’ve eased up by now, yet it seemed to only increase, coursing through every inch of her being. She just needed to stay conscious. Breathe. In, out. In, out. In, ou-

“Are you ok!?”

Her eyes snapped open. Danger. She jolted to her feet before the pain could keep her from- nope, that was too fast, too much. Something gave out, an internal snap, and her blood went still, vision turning pure white. She couldn’t feel her pulse hammering in her veins like mere seconds ago. Oh. Her heart stopped. But there was no light. Everything faded to black and silence, and Yang knew she was dying.

Or dead.

\---------------------------------

Something shifted. Yang wasn’t sure what, but there was a definite change. She had no idea how long she’d been drifting in absolute nothingness. Her sensations slowly began to return to her, touch first.

Soft. She lay in something soft. Warmth over her, and beneath her, slightly hugging her. A blanket, maybe, but much softer than anything she’d ever used.

Pain. A dull ache settled in her chest, the same pain she’d had for weeks already, though now the ache was stronger than before. Ok, well, that was unexpected. She didn’t expect the same kind of pain in the afterlife.

Her hearing and smell returned at the same time, the smell of flowers, like lilac or honeysuckle, followed by the feint crackling of a fire. Ok, so that’s why she wasn’t cold. Another sound, this one much more foreign. Almost like fabric brushing against fabric, but not quite. It took her a moment to place the sound as paper, then a slight clink of china. She couldn’t mistake that, since Raven seemed to care for her own fragile tea set. The sound of sipping, then the same sound as the cup was returned.

So, she wasn’t alone. Was she dead, though? She still couldn’t quite figure it out, and her eyes didn’t seem to be working yet. She tried moving, immediately giving a small groan as she shifted toward the sound of the fire. That seemed to help, and a moment later her eyes managed to open.

Everything was blurry, like she hadn’t opened her eyes in days. She looked back up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath, though that spiked the pain in her chest enough to be noticed, but the scent of the flowers was nice, calming. There was movement beside her, the sound of a book closing and someone shifting in a chair. She knew she wasn’t alone, and there was still that huge nagging question at the front of her mind.

“Am I dead?”

Finally her blurry vision began to clear, and she heard the faintest hint of a giggle. “No, you aren’t dead, but you came very close.”

That voice matched the honeysuckle scent in the room perfectly, and Yang felt herself drawn to it. Cat ears perked in her direction, framing midnight black hair around a beautiful, smooth face. The faunus’s lips looked soft as she smiled, her honey golden eyes locked with Yang’s. She was sure she’d never once seen someone so pretty before, and she could feel the calm rolling off this black-haired beauty.

“Oh. I guess I’m alive, then.”

There was that slight chuckle again, and the woman leaned forward a little, her face full of unfamiliar emotions, emotions Yang wanted to learn and memorize. Yang slowly started to sit up, and the smile vanished from the woman’s face as she set a hand on Yang’s chest, which only then is when Yang noticed the long sleeve sky blue button-up night shirt. It was so soft and light, she’d really thought she was naked before.

“Oh, careful, careful. You’re still very hurt. Please don’t move around much. My mom’s a nurse, she’s been taking care of you, but she doesn’t want you walking yet.”

Yang gently pushed away the woman’s hand. It wasn’t that she didn’t like to be touched, she just hadn’t ever known a kind touch. The pain in her chest was definitely there, though it was steady, constant with her heart beat.

“What happened to me? My chest feels like a mule’s sitting on it.”

The smile returned to the woman, but it was weaker, full of what Yang assumed to be worry as she moved her hand away from Yang. “Well I’m glad it isn’t worse, to be honest. You had a heart attack. A bad one. You’re really lucky I like reading in the woods.”

A heart attack. At nineteen. The woods. Alone in the woods. Mother. Raven.

Urgency rushed through Yang’s body like a fire. It almost felt like one by the way the pain increased as she threw the covers to the side, revealing pyjama pants to match her top. The faunus gave a small sound of protest and stepped back as Yang scoured the room for her things.

“No no, you have to lay-”

“Where are my things?”

She wasn’t shouting, but even she could hear the authority in her own voice as she made direct eye contact with the faunus, trying to convey her urgency. There was a moment of silence. Yang noticed the golden eyes glance to Yang’s strong arms for a moment before she pointed to a dresser against one of the walls.

“Top drawer. We cleaned your clothes for you.”

Yang didn’t even hear the second part as she grabbed her belts with her two knives and a pistol attached, quickly throwing them around her waist, not even bothering to change. She slipped on her boots as she glanced back at the woman.

“How long have I been here?”

“A day and a half.” The woman looked almost sad, filled with worry.

“Shit! Shit shit shit, I’m in deep fucking shit.”

“Please, please don’t go. You aren’t well. You’re heart, it’s-“

“My heart is the least of my worries.” She got to her feet and opened the door, but she had no idea where the exit was. “How do I get out of here?”

There was another mini staring match before the cat faunus relented and quickly started walking through the house, or maybe mansion, toward the front door. Another faunus with cat ears, but older was just coming around a corner when Yang spotted the front door, and she bolted for it before anyone could stop her. She heard a surprised gasp, A worried tone, then she was running, the pain in her chest still very much there, but not unbearable, yet.

She had to tell Raven she was sorry, though she knew she’d be going to bed with a bloody back that night, especially in the cursed bright blue PJs she was still wearing. The bright blue, soft, sweet smelling PJs, with gold trimming, the same colour as a pair of eyes belonging to a cat faunus. Yang never caught her name, and she would never admit she regretted that she hadn’t asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, I'm sorry to say, I won't be that consistent with chapters, but I really really wanna get far with this particular story. I kinda don't edit a whole lot, but I know my story well, so if you find spelling and grammar errors, please feel free to let me know, or if anything was hard to understand and/or doesn't flow well. This story is gonna be intense, but there is also a lot of fluff, so I hope y'all like it as much as I do. Buckle up, this will be a long fic. I've got big plans for it


	3. Wounds

“Stupid stupid Blake. You could’ve done anything, and you let her just... leave.”

Blake kicked a small stone, sending it skittering down the path in front of her. She always came to the woods when she had to think, though this time she didn’t bring her sketchbook. She just couldn’t get the image of the mysterious blonde out of her head.

She shoved her hands deep in her pockets and let out a sigh. She didn’t think she’d ever see the girl again. She had looked like a bandit, after all, judging by her clothes and the scars all over her body. The doctor had said six months of rest, and no exertion whatsoever, but by the way the blonde had run back into the woods, she wouldn’t be resting. 

Something moved to her right in the woods. Her ears flicked toward it, but the rustle was gone a moment later and she caught a glimpse of brown fur and the slight sound of light hooves. Just a deer. She let the calm sounds of the wind in the trees draw her back to her thoughts.

The trees had been rustling just like that when she had found the woman in the woods, hunched over and gasping for breath. She could still remember how she’d collapsed, then gone still. It had frightened Blake, enough for her own heart to start pounding away. She still remembered how her lips felt against the blonde’s. They were so soft. So warm, with a slight-

She shook her head. No! Why would she think something like that? It wasn’t a kiss, it was CPR. She was trying to save her life, not steal a kiss. She gave a huff and brushed her hair away from her face. Maybe coming out to the woods wasn’t such a good idea.

Something made noise down the path, by the creek. Probably just another deer. She picked up a stone, just in case it was something more dangerous. Something heavier than a deer moved to the water’s edge, just as Blake was coming up to the creek. 

A tangle of blonde hair came into view, the owner of the hair knelt down by the water’s edge, dipping something into the stream before wiping it over her arm and repeating, the water running a little red when she re-dipped the cloth. This was the last thing Blake expected to see, and she froze, her ears at full attention toward the familiar stranger.

The blonde paused before slowly turning her upper body to see Blake, looking her up and down before she held eye contact. Blake couldn’t help herself as she stared back into those lilac irises, barely even remembering to breathe.

“you gonna take me to the police?”

Ok, that wasn’t what Blake was expecting her to say. She still had trouble finding her voice, and she could only shake her head. The blonde held the wet cloth to her arm, Blake only now realizing she had three deep gashes in it, almost as though they were made by a large bird. 

Finally, she found her voice. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. I thought you’d really died.”

The bandit didn’t keep eye contact at that comment, and she gave a bark of a laugh, as fake as it could’ve been. “Kinda wish I was.”

Blake winced at the sound, but the words caught her off-guard. Everything about this bandit caught Blake off-guard.

She looked back to Blake. “Because of what happened I’ve got nothing at all. No pride, no respect, no home. Hell, I don’t even have anything but the clothes on my back. I’ve been kicked out.”

Kicked out? Because of a heart attack? Blake barely noticed the pain in her palm as she clenched a fist, the stone in her palm digging into the soft flesh. How dare they kick someone out just because she was literally dying! Anyone with eyes could see the blonde was in pain, and not just physical either. Whoever had been a part of her life was clearly abusive, and Blake was determined to right the wrongs that had been done to this girl.

“What are you going to do?” She knelt down near the blonde. She wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be stepping over any boundaries, but a plan was already forming in her head.

She gave a sigh and ran a hand through her long, thick hair. It looked well cared for, but like it hadn’t been brushed properly. It still looked soft, and Blake couldn’t remember if she’d felt it or not.

“don’t know. Probably just wander. Probably end up getting caught and hung. That’s what happens to bandits, after all.”

Blake tightened her jaw. There was no way she’d just let that happen, especially when this bandit didn’t even try to hurt her. It sounded like she wouldn’t try to hurt anyone. Blake forced a smile, though she was sure it looked shallow. She dropped the stone and extended her hand as an invitation.

“Come with me. I’ll make sure you aren’t hung, and I’ll make sure you get good food and a warm place to sleep.”

She stared at the outstretched hand, but she didn’t move to shake it. She looked back up at Blake, a confused look on her face. “What’s the catch? You gonna put me to work?”

Oh. This girl lived with bandits. Of course she’d think there was a price. Blake didn’t move her hand, and she couldn’t help the worried tone that crept into her voice. “No. You’re not well. You need to heal, and I wanna make sure you’ll be ok.” No, she knew that sounded weak. Even if it was the truth, the bandit-... ex-bandit wouldn’t believe it was that simple. “To be honest, I just want a companion. I’m lonely, and having another girl in the house will... not be so lonely. You’re paying me by accepting my offer. Please, come home with me.”

The blonde stared at the hand, her face neutral. She was quiet for a long moment before she looked back up at Blake. Where there had been a dull look in her eye before, there was now a spark. Hope, maybe?

“If I agree, but I don’t like it, can I leave?”

Clearly the concept of ‘guest’ hadn’t come through, and Blake felt her forehead crease with a slight frown. Was this girl not given any sort of freedom? “Of course you can. You’re a guest. You’re free to go whenever.”

There was another bout of silence. Blake felt her arm cramp a little from holding it out so long, but she wouldn’t drop it till she made her choice. The blonde glanced off into the forest, then up at the trees before she gave a deep sigh and nodded a little. “I guess I can come for a little. Maybe a couple days.”

She reached forward and they shook hands. Blake felt her fingers contract, biting back a wince at the iron grip from this woman. She still didn’t know her name, so Blake smiled.

“I’m Blake, Blake Belladonna.”

The blonde released her hand, and Blake tried to be subtle as she rubbed away the lingering sting from the force of the handshake. She ran a hand through her golden locks before she spoke. “you can just call me Yang.”

Yang. It fit so perfectly, Blake wondered why she hadn’t already guessed it. It was like no other name would’ve suited her. She tried not to look downright creepy with the smile she couldn’t stop. She got to her feet and held out her arm again, but this time as an invitation to help the blonde- Yang, to her feet.

Yang didn’t crush her poor fingers the second time she took Blake’s hand, but the force she used to get to her feet nearly pulled Blake over. She hadn’t gotten a good look at Yang’s eyes the day before, and she couldn’t help herself from staring at the beautiful eyes, reminding her of her mother’s lilac flowers that bloomed in the early spring by her window. If it wasn’t for the strong scent of blood, sweat, and smoke, she might’ve imagined the beautiful smell. It almost looked like there was a fire in her irises. A purple, vibrant flame, with her bright hair being the tips of the flames, lighting up-

“So, that way, right?”

“huh?” Blake blinked. Yang’s arm was pointing toward Blake’s home. “O-oh, yeah. Let’s get going. Just follow me.”

She didn’t want to look away from Yang, but she managed to turn and head back home, her ears turned toward Yang to make sure she was following. Had she really just spaced out while staring into the blonde’s eyes?

Yang was quiet on the small walk to the house, and once it was in sight Blake glanced back. “How’re you feeling? How’s your heart?”

Yang gave a shrug, not keeping eye contact. “My chest always hurts, but right now my back and arm hurt more. I’ll live.”

Her back? Blake kept heading to the house. She hadn’t really gotten a look at Yang’s back, even the day before when she was unconscious. She wasn’t so sure that last statement was true, not if Yang insisted on staying active.

The house was more like a mansion. Blake often forgot just how intimidating it could be, and Yang had gone quiet once she got a good look at it, her eyes wide. Blake smiled, but her cheeks warmed up in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s pretty big. The whole fucking camp could fit inside.”

Blake had never been a fan of swearing. She tried not to wince at Yang’s crude language. Instead she headed toward the front doors. “Yeah, my dad was kinda the mayor of Kuo Kuana back when we lived in Menagerie. Now he’s got this huge company out here, and he’s on the town council.” She was rambling a little, but Yang seemed to be listening. “He once said something about wanting a house big enough to bring in a whole village if he ever needed to.”

Blake rested her hand on the door and looked back at Yang, who was staring up toward the roof, her mouth open a bit. Blake smiled a little wider and opened the door. The sound seemed to snap Yang out of it, and she followed Blake inside. Blake’s ear turned toward Yang once the door closed. She caught the blonde’s small jump at the sound of the wood settling into place, then again as someone called out Blake’s name. Oh great, she hadn’t warned Yang about her mother.

Kali came into the large entry room, and the moment she saw Yang she rushed forward. Yang immediately started stepping backward, and the two appeared to enter an awkward dance as Yang tried to keep at least four feet between herself and Kali. Blake couldn’t help her chuckle as Kali quickly tried to calm Yang, extending a hand to try to feel the blonde’s forehead.

“Oh, sweetie, hold still. I just wanna make sure you’re alright. Just let me check your temperature. Are you in any pain? How’s your chest. Oh my! Look at your poor arm!”

“Whoa, back the fuck up, lady. Don’t touch me.”

That finally got Kali to stop, more because Yang had thrown her hands in front of her to block Kali than the f bomb she’d just dropped, but Kali still smiled and took a step back.

“of course, dear. I’m so sorry, I tend to forget people’s personal space sometimes.”

Yang looked to Blake, a somewhat desperate look on her face, clearly asking for help. Blake put her hand on her mother’s shoulder to draw the attention away from Yang for a moment. “Mom, this is Yang. She said she’s going to stay with us for a few days, as a guest.” She then stood off to the side and gestured toward Kali. “Yang, this is my mom, Kali Belladonna. She’s a nurse, and she wants to make sure you’re alright and take care of your injuries.”

Yang fidgeted a bit, glancing around the room before she sighed and nodded. “Fine. I’ll let you care for me, but ask first. Don’t just come up and touch me, cause if I’m not expecting it, you’ll get a fist in the face.”

This time Blake did cringe just a little. She could barely comprehend someone talking to Kali that way, even though she knew Yang didn’t know any better, but Kali had heard much much worse in her time working for the hospital. Her smile never left as she nodded and started heading to another room.

“I can respect that, Yang. Blake? Can you take Yang to her room? I’m just gonna grab my things.”

And a moment later, it was just Yang and Blake again. Yang stared after Kali for a moment, then turned to Blake. “She’s... a lot.”

Blake smiled and almost gave a chuckle. “She just cares a lot. She’s harmless. Well, till you need stitches. She’s downright scary with a needle in her hand.” She chuckled at her own joke, but Yang kinda just stared blankly at Blake. She cleared her throat and started heading for the large staircase. “c’mon, your room is just down the hall from mine. It’s got a good view of the woods from the window.”

Yang followed, glancing all around at the interior of the house. There was a level of vulnerability to Yang that tugged at Blake’s heart. She seemed tough, and yet almost lost at the same time. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she knew this was what Yang needed. Maybe Blake could do more than let Yang’s heart heal. Maybe she could mend her soul as well.

Blake opened the door to the room and turned on the light. It was mostly unchanged from the day before, and Blake smiled as Yang came in, then slowly took off her weapon’s belt. She looked at Blake.

“Will I have to take off my shirt? If your mom wants to... heal me, does that mean my back too?”

That was the second time Yang had mentioned her back, and that made her frown. “Well, what’s wrong with your back?”

Yang turned her back to Blake and bent forward a little, lifting her shirt up to reveal a very toned, but very damaged back. The crisscrossing whip marks looked far too fresh, but they were over top of layers and layers of old, scarred whip marks. Blake brought both hands to her mouth, tears prickling her eyes as Yang let her shirt fall back and turned. She looked surprised by Blake’s reaction, and gave a shrug.

“They’re just whip marks. No need to cry over them.”

Blake was no stranger to abuse, but those marks... she couldn’t even imagine the pain that many scars must’ve brought her over the years. Was this how bandits were treated by their own? Overworked to the point of a heart attack, then whipped for it? No, there was no way Blake would let Yang suffer like that any longer. She knew what it felt like to be helpless, and she wouldn’t let Yang ever feel that again.

Kali came into the room a moment later, Blake’s hands still covering her mouth. Yang turned to Kali, showing her arm with the three long gashes. Blake managed to shake herself back to reality, grabbing her mother’s bag and bringing it to the nightstand so it would be easier to work on Yang.

“Here, come sit on the bed, sweetie.” Kali gently put her hand on Yang’s shoulder, but withdrew when Yang visibly flinched at the touch. Yang sat down, and the next fifteen minutes Kali nearly tried to do a full physical. Yang was mostly cooperative, though she wouldn’t let Kali take off her shirt, even though Kali had already seen her pretty much naked. Blake was the one who brought up Yang’s back, and though she was a little hesitant, Yang lifted the back of her shirt to show Kali her torn up skin and muscle.

“Oh, sweetie, that looks nasty. I’ve got just the salve for that.”

Blake was surprised Kali hadn’t reacted more, but then again, she had the professional experience Blake lacked. Yang was very clearly hiding her pain as kali applied the salve, her teeth clenched and an occasional hiss or grunt coming through. Blake almost felt like she was invading Yang’s privacy by watching this, though Kali began to chat, probably to distract Yang from the pain.

“I hope you like fish. Ghira decided to take over cooking tonight, and his salmon is absolutely delicious. You’ll be able to eat as much as you want. You look like you should eat more regularly, maybe gain a few pounds.”

Yang merely grunted, clearly not in the mood for chit chat. Kali helped pin a few bandages in place over the worse marks, but left a lot of it to heal naturally, and she pulled the shirt down when she was done.

“There we go. You’re all patched up now. I do have a few things to take care of, though, so I’ll see you later.”

As she packed up her bag, Yang turned to sit properly on the bed again, looking first at Kali, then Blake, and it was only then Blake realized she’d been staring pretty much the whole time, and her cheeks turned a little pink.

“Can I be alone for a bit?” Yang sounded... melancholy, almost like she was defeated, or overly tired. “I might just take a nap, but I wanna think on my own for a bit.

“Y-yeah, sure.” Blake quickly straightened and followed Kali toward the door. “We’ll stay out of your hair. I’ll just be down the hall if you need me.”

Yang nodded and gave a deep sigh. Blake turned and closed the door behind her before she looked to Kali. The older faunus pulled Blake into a hug and ran a hand through her long hair.

“Oh Blake. She’s in worse condition than I thought. Wherever she was has not been good for her.”

Blake sighed and nodded, nuzzling into the warmth of a mother’s embrace. “I’m worried about her. Mom, I kinda told her she could stay here till she gets better.” She realized she hadn’t asked first, and for a moment she worried she’d gone too far, but then she heard a slight chuckle from Kali.

“Good. I hope she stays. She looks pretty rough around the edges, but I’m pretty sure there’s a good heart in there somewhere. I think we’ll be exactly what she needs.” Kali slowly pulled away a bit and kissed Blake’s forehead, then looked into her eyes and brushed some of Blake’s stray locks behind her ear. “I think she might just be what you need too, my beautiful flower.”

Blake managed a small smile and gave a deep sigh, meeting the soft eyes of her mother before nodding. “Maybe. Only time will tell, but I’ll try my best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh! Blake is so hard to write! The first half of this chapter took a stupidly long time. I'm probably gonna try to avoid writing from Blake's perspective for the rest of the story, just cause of how difficult it is for me. I'll still write from her perspective for a few scenes here and there, but it'll mostly be Yang, just so y'all know. I'll also be reformatting this fic in the next week or so, so it might appear like I'm losing a chapter, but I promise I'm not deleting anything i've already written.
> 
> As always, feel free to point out any inconsistencies to me. I don't tend to edit a whole lot


End file.
